‘What’s best is to remember it’s a long way to Tristcontenta.’

After another hour Frejah spoke again into the headset. ‘Ya, Harsent. Off the road now.’

A roadside area of retail concessions was ahead, and we turned off for it. It had been snowing for the last twenty minutes and as we slowed down we could see that it was intensifying and wind borne, blustering from the south and east. Drifts were heaping up at the sides of the parking lot and against the bodywork of many of the vehicles. Frejah ignored all directional signs and drove through an unmarked gated area – the barrier rose almost as we turned towards the ramp. We drove down to a small underground parking area. A place marked Security was vacant.

We left the car and ascended by metal steps to a refreshment bar. We were both peckish, not hungry. My hangover had all but vanished – the cold air, the adrenaline surges from Frejah’s driving? We ordered biscuits and a couple of savoury pastries, with coffee, sitting side by side on tall stools at the counter. The guy who worked behind the bar stayed close to where we were seated, apparently searching through till receipts, moving glasses around. The bar stretched all the way to the other side of the room. Other customers were there. He could have stood on their side too.

Frejah kept glancing towards him, but said nothing.

Then she said: ‘Would you give us some privacy, please?’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said. He moved away, but only as far as a small counter at the rear. With his back to us he started folding paper napkins.

We picked everything up and transferred to a small table in a far corner.

‘I’ve called in here a few times recently,’ Frejah said. ‘He’s connected me with the car. I don’t want him listening to us.’

‘Could he be someone you’ve had to arrest in the past?’

‘I arrest nobody. There aren’t any criminals on Dearth. This you know by now.’

‘No criminals, no crime. But you drive around in a pursuit car, armed to the teeth.’

‘I’m not armed,’ she said. ‘Neither is the car.’

‘There’s the semi-automatic in the trunk.’

‘That’s true. But that’s not part of the ordnance of the car. And it’s not a pursuit car. It’s C&C – command and control. We bought it secondhand from a force on one of the other islands.’

‘We bought it?’

‘The force did, yes.’

‘So why do you need it?’ I said.

‘I wanted it more than I needed it,’ she said. ‘It’s a car I dreamed about having. They saw it as a retirement gift, one I can keep until I really do retire.’

‘When’s that likely to be?’

‘I’m on an open case. I’ll retire when that’s complete. Not until.’

‘But there’s no crime here.’